Analytical prediction of the effective dynamic behaviour and the damping characteristics of laminated steel stacks as used in electric machines

The main objective of this paper is to investigate a detailed, micromechanical model for discontinuous, layered composites like they appear in electric motors. The model is employed in order to calculate the resulting properties of a laminated steel stack from the stator of an electric motor. In particular, the frequency dependency of the elastic behavior and the damping characteristics are of interest. The method is based on a representative unit cell, yet it is still fully analytical, wherefore it accelerates the determination of material data. The results were compared to findings from experiments with stator specimens. The predicted elastic constants as well as the damping behavior were in good accordance with experimental data.